Astilbe plant named ‘Youandme Forever’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Astilbe  plant named ‘Youandme Forever’, characterized by its broadly upright and mounding plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit; dense and bushy appearance; dark green-colored leaves; freely and uniformly flowering habit; purplish red-colored flowers on strong, tall and upright peduncles; and good container and garden performance.

Botanical designation: Astilbe chinensis.

Cultivar denomination: ‘YOUANDME FOREVER’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION AND STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR/APPLICANT

This application claims priority to a European Community Plant Breeders' Rights application filed on Feb. 1, 2020, application number 20200349. There have been no offers for sale anywhere in the world prior to the effective filing date of this Application and no accessibility to one of ordinary skill in the art could have been derived from the printed Plant Breeder's Rights documents.

The Inventor/Applicant asserts that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor. Applicant claims a prior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Astilbe, botanically known as Astilbe chinensis and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Youandme Forever’.

The new Astilbe plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Heemskerk, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to create new uniform and freely flowering Astilbe plants with attractive leaf and flower coloration.

The new Astilbe plant originated from a cross-pollination in 2013 in Heemskerk, The Netherlands, of two unidentified Astilbe chinensis seedling selections. The new Astilbe plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Heemskerk, The Netherlands during the summer of 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the new Astilbe plant by vegetative divisions in a controlled nursery environment in Heemskerk, The Netherlands since December, 2015, has shown that the unique features of this new Astilbe plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Astilbe have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Youandme Forever’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Youandme Forever’ as a new and distinct Astilbe plant:

-   -   1. Broadly upright and mounding plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Dense and bushy appearance.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Freely and uniformly flowering habit.     -   6. Purplish red-colored flowers on strong, tall and upright         peduncles.     -   7. Good container and garden performance.

Plants of the new Astilbe differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in plant habit as plants of the new Astilbe are more compact than plants of the parent selections. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the new Astilbe are longer and broader than inflorescences of plants of the parent selections.

Plants of the new Astilbe can be compared to plants of Astilbe chinensis ‘Vision in Red’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,965. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Astilbe and ‘Vision in Red’ differ primarily in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Astilbe are shorter than plants of ‘Vision         in Red’.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Astilbe are smaller than         inflorescences of plants of ‘Vision in Red’.     -   3. Flowers of plants of the new Astilbe are purplish red in         color whereas flowers of plants of ‘Vision in Red’ are purple in         color.

Plants of the new Astilbe can also be compared to plants of Astilbe chinensis ‘Harvandermeerrubyred’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,439. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Astilbe and ‘Harvandermeerrubyred’ differ primarily in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Astilbe are shorter and bushier than plants         of ‘Harvandermeerrubyred’.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Astilbe are smaller than         inflorescences of plants of ‘Harvandermeerrubyred’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Astilbe plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Astilbe plant.

The photograph on the first sheet (FIG. 1 of 2) is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Youandme Forever’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet (FIG. 2 of 2) is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Youandme Forever’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the late summer in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Heemskerk, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Astilbe production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 40° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 24° C. Plants were one year old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Astilbe chinensis ‘Youandme Forever’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unidentified Astilbe chinensis             seedling selection, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified Astilbe chinensis             seedling selection, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By vegetative divisions.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About three weeks at temperatures             about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Thick, fleshy; typically brown in color,             actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; broadly             upright and mounding plant form with inflorescences held             above the foliar plane; flowering stems and leaves basal;             freely flowering with numerous basal branches developing per             plant, dense and bushy; moderately vigorous to vigorous             growth habit; and freely and uniformly flowering habit.         -   Growth rate.—Moderately rapid to rapid; from divisions,             about three months are required to produce fully-grown             flowering plants in containers.         -   Plant height (soil level to top of foliar plane).—About 44.5             cm.         -   Plant height (soil level to top of inflorescences).—About             75.6 cm.         -   Plant width (spread).—About 67 cm.         -   Stem description.—Length: About 37.2 cm. Diameter: About             4 mm. Internode length: About 8.9 cm. Strength: Strong.             Aspect: Erect to about 15° from vertical. Texture and             luster: Sparsely pubescent; moderately glossy. Color,             developing: Close to 175A. Color, developed: Close to 144A             tinged with close to 152A to darker than 152A; at the             internodes, close to 144A strongly tinged with close to 183A             to 183B. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate; biternately compound; on average,             about 27 leaflets per leaf.         -   Leaf length (excluding petiole).—About 22.4 cm.         -   Leaf width.—About 23.8 cm.         -   Terminal leaflet length.—About 6.6 cm.         -   Terminal leaflet width.—About 3.8 cm.         -   Lateral leaflet length.—About 4.5 cm.         -   Lateral leaflet width.—About 2.7 cm.         -   Leaf shape, in outline.—Deltoid to broadly ovate.         -   Leaflet shape.—Broadly elliptic to obovate and ovate.         -   Leaflet apex.—Apiculate.         -   Leaflet base.—Attenuate to short attenuate.         -   Leaflet margin.—Biserrate; moderately undulate.         -   Leaflet texture and luster, upper surface.—Sparsely             pubescent; slightly glossy.         -   Leaflet texture and luster, lower surface.—Moderately             pubescent; slightly glossy.         -   Leaflet venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Leaflet color.—Developing leaflets, upper surface: Close to             146A. Developing leaflets, lower surface: Close to 147B.             Fully expanded leaflets, upper surface: Close to NN137A;             venation, close to 144B. Fully expanded leaflets, lower             surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 147D.         -   Leaf petiole length.—About 23.2 cm.         -   Leaf petiole diameter.—About 2.5 mm.         -   Leaf and leaflet petiole strength.—Strong.         -   Leaf and leaflet petiole texture and luster, upper and lower             surfaces.—Sparsely pubescent; moderately glossy.         -   Leaf and leaflet petiole color, upper surface.—Close to             144A; towards the base, close to 177B to 177C; at the nodes,             tinged with close to 176B.         -   Leaf and leaflet petiole color, lower surface.—Close to 144A             to 144B; towards the base, close to 180A to 180B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single rotate flowers             arranged on terminal compound panicles; flowers face             upright, outward or downward depending on position on the             inflorescence; panicles conical in shape; freely and             uniformly flowering habit with about 2,000 flowers             developing per inflorescence and about 20,000 flowers             developing per plant during the flowering season.         -   Fragrance.—Faint; sweet and slightly moldy; pleasant.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about 13             weeks after planting; continuously flowering from late             spring until late summer in The Netherlands.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Flowers last about ten days on the             plant; flowers not persistent.         -   Flower buds.—Height: About 3.5 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Shape: Ovate. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; matte.             Color: Sepals, close to 146A and petals, close to 60A.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 33.6 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 13 cm.         -   Flower diameter.—About 9 mm.         -   Flower depth.—About 6 mm.         -   Petals.—Quantity per flower: Typically five in a single             whorl. Length: About 7 mm. Width: About 0.8 mm. Shape:             Oblanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Narrowly cuneate. Margin:             Entire; not undulate. Texture and luster, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Color: Developing petals,             upper and lower surfaces: Close to 60D. Fully expanded             petals, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 63B; with             development, color becoming closer to 63C to 63D.         -   Sepals.—Quantity per flower: Typically five in a single             whorl, lower 25% fused towards the base forming a             campanulate-shaped calyx. Length: About 2 mm. Width: About             1.2 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Bluntly acute. Base: Cuneate,             fused. Margin: Entire. Texture and luster, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Color: Developing sepals,             upper surface: Close to 146B; towards the apex and margins,             close to 60B. Developing sepals, lower surface: Close to             60B. Fully expanded sepals, upper surface: Close to 58A;             towards the base, close to 58C to 58D; colors do not change             with development. Fully expanded sepals, lower surface:             Close to 58A; colors do not change with development.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 33.3 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Angle: Mostly erect. Strength: Strong. Texture and luster:             Densely pubescent; slightly glossy. Color: Close to 152A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 0.5 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm.             Angle: About 45° from peduncle axis. Strength: Moderately             strong. Texture and luster: Densely pubescent; matte. Color:             Close to 185B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Typically             ten; anthers basifixed. Filament length: About 2 mm.             Filament color: Close to 63B. Anther shape: Broadly ovate.             Anther length: About 0.4 mm. Anther diameter: About 0.25 mm.             Anther color: Close to 68C. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen             color: Close to 156D. Pistils: Quantity per flower: Two.             Pistil length: About 1.5 mm. Stigma diameter: About 0.1 mm.             Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to 60C. Style             length: About 1.5 mm. Style color: Close to 64C. Ovary             color: Close to 64C.         -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit development have             not been observed on plants of the new Astilbe. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Astilbe have     not been noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Astilbe plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Astilbe have been observed to     have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind, temperatures     ranging from about −25° to 35° C. and to be suitable for USDA     Hardiness Zones 5 through 10. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Astilbe plant named ‘Youandme Forever’ as illustrated and described. 